Pacha restaurant becomes roadside favorite for drivers in Anbar

ANBAR — On the main trade route linking Iraq and Syria, a new restaurant in Al-Qaim, Anbar, has become a popular stop for Syrian truck drivers seeking Iraqi-style pacha, according to its owner.

The restaurant, owned by Mohammed Ahmad Al-Kahli, specializes in the traditional dish made from sheep heads and trotters.

“The daily quantity reaches up to seven heads or more depending on demand,” Al-Kahli told 964media. “We also offer delivery.”

Al-Kahli said most customers prefer to eat at the restaurant rather than order takeaway, citing limited availability of Arabic-style seating in border and western areas. The restaurant serves portions for two or three people and also prepares larger family-sized dishes, known as “Umm al-Arawi,” which are sometimes delivered.

Prices range from 10,000 dinars ($7) per person to 60,000 dinars ($42) for a full sheep head served in the dining area, or 50,000 dinars ($35) for takeaway.

Al-Kahli said he chose the location for its position along a major transportation corridor. “It’s a border area where trucks and travelers pass through. We get customers from Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, and Syria, most of them are truck drivers,” he said.

He said the flavor varies depending on the age of the sheep, adding that younger sheep under one year old produce a more tender and flavorful pacha.

Cleanliness and seasoning are a focus, Al-Kahli said. “The pacha arrives from the butcher already cleaned, but I clean it again more than twice,” he said.

He said the busiest hours are between 10 p.m. and dawn, with fewer orders in the morning.